Report: Man jailed after firing gun at teens driving four-wheelers

June 30, 2012|Barbara Hijek, FloriDUH

The teens were apparently moving targets.

The teens — two are 16 and one is 15 — had just finished driving their four-wheelers on a trail at about 11 p.m. when they passed by the Deland home of Paul Smith, who, the teens say, was dressed in camouflage pants and a black shirt and standing against a fence, according to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Then, without warning, the Smith reportedly pulled out a silver revolver, pointed it at the trio and fired one shot, according to the release.

Nobody was struck or hurt and the teens sped away to a friend’s house to call authorities.

Smith had apparently been irritated with the boys for riding by his house on their four-wheelers before, according to the teens. But in the past he had only yelled and cursed at them, the release stated.

Deputies said that Smith claimed he was asleep the whole time. But later he admitted to confronting the teens by just yelling at them. Then his story changed again to him pointing a finger at the boys when a firecracker had gone off somewhere nearby at the same time, deputies said.

Deputies arrested Smith, 50, charging him with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.